African Kingdoms on the Nile

Description

2012 American Publishers (PROSE) Awards winner for Best Archaeology & Anthropology Book

For most of the modern world, ancient Nubia seems an unknown and enigmatic land. Only a handful of archaeologists have studied its history or unearthed the Nubian cities, temples, and cemeteries that once dotted the landscape of southern Egypt and northern Sudan. Nubia's remote setting in the midst of an inhospitable desert, with access by river blocked by impassable rapids, has lent it not only an air of mystery, but also isolated it from exploration. Over the past century, particularly during this last generation, scholars have begun to focus more attention on the fascinating cultures of ancient Nubia, ironically prompted by the construction of large dams that have
flooded vast tracts of the ancient land.

This book attempts to document some of what has recently been discovered about ancient Nubia, with its remarkable history, architecture, and culture, and thereby to give us a picture of this rich, but unfamiliar, African legacy.

African Kingdoms on the Nile

Table of Contents

Essays on:The Land of NubiaHistory of NubiaEarly Exploration and ArchaeologySaving Nubia's LegacyArchaeological SalvageArt and ArchitectureKings and KingshipReligionBurial CustomsTexts and WritingDaily LifeWomenAdornmentCeramicsAnimals

Reviews and Awards

2012 American Publishers (PROSE) Awards winner for Best Archaeology & Anthropology Book

"This beautifully illustrated volume offers the general reader a survey of this little-known civilization and is highly recommended."--Library Journal

"[B]rings the ancient unknown kingdom of Nubia alive through essays and beautiful photos."--Booklist

"[Ancient Nubia: African Kingdoms on the Nile] is arguably the definitive work on the subject to date. And the on-location lush color photographs of Chester Higgins Jr. are worthy of a volume of their own!"--KMT: A Modern Journal of Ancient Egypt

From Our Blog

For most of the modern world, ancient Nubia seems an unknown and enigmatic land. Only a handful of archaeologists have studied its history or unearthed the Nubian cities, temples, and cemeteries that once dotted the landscape of southern Egypt and northern Sudan. Nubia's remote setting in the midst of an inhospitable desert, with access by river blocked by impassable rapids, has lent it not only an air of mystery, but also isolated it from exploration.